Will tomorrow's verdict see a return of British Justice at its best....or will we see Corperate greed showing its ugly face again ???
Uber faces a two-pronged test on Monday, to regain its London license when the appeal verdict will be announced.
The minicab app’s future in London, its biggest European market, hinges on whether Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram finds it “fit and proper” to operate in the capital.
If he does, Transport for London have already said they will then negotiate a license with the company, and the judge will have to approve the length.
If it loses, Uber can still continue its business while appealing this verdict
The license review is just one of a number of legal battles the California-based firm is fighting.
It is facing other lawsuits, including in its home state, that would give drivers expanded employment rights that could wreck its gig-economy business model.
Uber says since TfL failed to renew its licence, it has improved the London operations, and will appeal any loss, a process that could now take many years.
“Most people expect Uber to have done enough to keep their license, even if it’s similar to last time, when they were granted a limited extension,” Anna McCaffrey, an employment lawyer at Taylor Wessing, said.
“I think it would be quite a surprise, although not impossible, for them to be unfit and proper and out of London forever,” she said.
In November, TfL refused to renew its license for the second time over safety concerns. To find Uber “fit and proper,” the judge would have to be satisfied that it has the qualities and capabilities that are reasonably expected of a private-hire vehicle operator, the company said in written documents.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram will release his decision after 10am Monday at Westminster Magistrates Court.
TfL have consistently declined to comment.
Uber’s manager for Northern & Eastern Europe Jamie Heywood said the firm has worked hard to address the regulator’s concerns and is “committed to keeping people moving safely around the city.”
License Length
Uber and TfL will receive the ruling earlier than the public, so they have time to negotiate the length of the license if Uber wins the case.
They will also negotiate the list of conditions attached to the license, which the company is obliged to meet.
Uber’s lawyers have asked for one hour at most to make submissions. The judge will then either decide to grant Uber the negotiated license, or hand it a shorter one.
Two years ago, when Uber had its first court appeal for its London operators licence, it asked for 18 months but judge Arbuthnot only grave them 15 months, subject to a list of 14 conditions.
Uber are currently subject to 20 conditions, with 6 new ones introduced last year, mostly tackling driver-photo identification and insurance fraud.
It appears the 13,000 driver fake criminal record certificates or fake medical tests exposed in the Times and the Sun newspapers weren’t bought up in court.
Before its license renewal was first refused in 2017, it had operated on a normal five-year permit.
The length of the new license will depend on its executives’ view on its compliance with the “fit and proper” test, McCaffrey said.
If the company feels the judgment entirely vindicates them, it will probably have the confidence to ask for a longer extension.
But if the ruling is more ambivalent, and points to areas it still needs to improve on, it may ask for a more cautious length like last time, she said.
Source: Bloomberg
British Justice, the best money can buy???
TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT :
Pubs and restaurants all close at 10pm - And Uber drivers covertly surge prices
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